Page 48 of Tusk's Fury

Tex snorts a laugh. “Yeah, but you gotta earn your patch, just like the rest of us, ‘cause we all know Rider ain’t gonna let no slackers slip in without a proper bout of prospecting.”

I chuckle, because he’s not wrong about that. Rider is strict about prospects earning their patch.

Steven leans forward to look past his mother and says something in gibberish to his sister. Whatever he’s trying to tell her, she gets it because she bursts out giggling, almost spitting out her applesauce.

We adults all look at each other with bemused expressions because, really, who can know what’s going on in a child’s mind?

Levi must have been watching from the sidelines because he comes over and squats beside his half-brother. Steven’s face lights up when Levi hands him a sticker with the Savage Legion’s logo on it. The boy snatches the sticker and holds it right in front of his face so he can see every detail. His expression is nothing short of gleeful.

For the first time ever, Stephanie makes an indignant sound. Levi immediately goes to her and holds out another sticker, identical to the first one. “I’d never forget my little sis,” he says, pressing the sticker into her hand. It immediately goes into her mouth, so Levi gently pries it from her sticky fingers, wipes it on his jeans, and props it up against the coffee pot so she can look at it while she eats.

I hear Clara and Brittany oohing and aahing over how cute it is that the toddlers are already showing an interest in the club their father holds so near and dear. They’re complimenting Levi on being such a great big brother. And me? I gotta admit that Tex has built a nice little family for himself.

Now, it’s time for me to do the same by introducing Victoria to my boys and making sure they get to spend time with Brittany and their new half-sister. I already sent Gina a message on the parenting app we’re supposed to be using, letting her know that all communication needs to go through the app from now on and that she needs to have the kids ready by noon—because it’s my weekend.

As for encouraging the boys to warm up to their new sister, the wheels in my head start turning, figuring out the best way to make that happen.

Taking a sip of my coffee, I realize that before I can enjoy any long-term domestic tranquility, I’ve gotta solve this problem with Brittany’s family and the man who hoped to make her his bride. Because I don’t want us to start our life together with that shit hanging over us.

I’d already texted Zen everything I had on the man wanting to get his hands on Brittany. I also asked her to make a list of everything she could think of—not just about Silas Harper, but also about her family—to help Zen find a way out of this mess.

The minute we finish eating, I tell Tex, “We’re going to meet up with Zen, and then I’m picking up my boys so they can meet their new sister. I guess we’ll catch up with you later this evening.”

“I hope your boys don’t end up jealous over the new baby. That was one of the things Clara and I worried about with Levi. Turns out, he’s too old and independent to feel threatened by new babies.”

Clara puts her hand on his arm and chimes in, “I think he sees the twins as a cool distraction for his father and me—so we don’t focus all our time and energy on him. He likes to think he’s a grown man already.”

“He’s got a baby face and no beard. Until he sorts that shit out, he ain’t gonna pass for a grown man.”

Tex chuckles, then looks me dead in the eyes and says, “Do not tell Levi that. He’s really self-conscious about not having a beard. He’s even been researching ways to make his little bit of chin stubble grow faster.”

I jerk my chin at him. “I ain’t stupid enough to tease your boy over shit like his manhood.”

Tex relaxes. “I didn’t think you were. Just thought I should warn you—he might freak the fuck out on you if you start teasing him about the beard thing.”

I just shake my head. “You’re a little tightly wound. You know that, don’t you?”

“Try living my fuckin’ stressful life for a goddamn minute, why don’t you? I got an underage teen who thinks he’s a man, two toddlers, a best friend who took forever to get his shit together, and a wife who thinks I betrayed her trust over trying to help him.”

I know he expects me to argue that I’ve got my shit together, but I just grin and say, “Back up to the part where we’re besties.”

Tex grumbles, “Fuck off with that shit. Don’t y’all have somewhere important to be right now?”

“No,” I lie. “I’ve got all the time in the world to harass my BFF.”

He points to his watch. “Tick tock, you deranged fucker. Better get your asses to Zen’s office before he gets tired of waiting for you.”

Chapter 18

Brittany

Ilove how lighthearted Tusk is with Tex after admitting Tusk was his best friend. That was cute to watch. I really like Clara and Tex—their whole family is great.

We eventually make our way back to Zen’s small office. It’s more like an extra-large walk-in closet. Zen tells us to have a seat, but all he’s got is one rolling stool. Tusk holds it still with his foot so I can sit down with the baby. I thought I’d better take her with us, as Clara and Tex already have their hands full with the twins. When I lower myself onto the stool, Tusk’s hand comes out to rest gently on my shoulder. He knows I’m nervous and is trying to reassure me. God knows, I need all the reassurance I can get right now.

Zen is silent for so long that my anxiety spikes. I glance around his small office, curious since I’ve always wondered what it looked like during the years I spent as a club girl. He has a bank of monitors running across the back wall, casting a soft blue light over most of the room. I have to admit, he’s a very organized and orderly IT guy. All his cords are bundled neatly into two or three groups, running from his monitors to his desktop and a couple of laptops. He’s busy scrolling through information on the largest monitor—it looks like he might be in a county records database.

Finally, Tusk grumbles, “Can you fucking tell us something? Standing around waiting for you to pull your head out of that computer and talk to us is making me crazy.”

---